Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Dermestid Beetle Colony?



Sae's day at the Field Museum for my
Scientific Illustration class with Peggy Macnamara.
Peggy brought us into the Preparation lab of the Field Museum, where all the stuffing and positioning of the species showed in the Field museum are done before they are actually on display. In the lab, there's a room entirely dedicated for the Dermestid Beetle Colony, w
hich belong to the family Dermestidae, also called carpet beetles or larder beetles. These beetles are commonly used by museums and taxidermists to prepare skeletal material, which was why they were in the Preparation room in the Field Museum as well.

The smell of the room was not one of the most pleasant smells I've encountered in my life. But when I googled "Dermestid Beetle Colony" I interestingly came across a website that sells Dermestid Beetle Colony starter kits.




Sae

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